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Festival of Tabernacles 2007 |
The North West Church of God, which is affiliated to the Church of God Outreach Ministries, will be celebrating the Festival of Tabernacles 2007 in Llandudno, on the North Wales coast.
Llandudno was named after St. Tudno ('llan' = parish). St. Tudno's Church is situated on the Great Orme, on the site of the original 6th century monastery, and dates from the 15th century. In 1987, during a scheme to landscape an area of the Great Orme, an astounding archaeological discovery was made. It had been thought that the copper mines there dated back to the Roman invasion 2000 years ago, but excavation has revealed over four miles of tunnels dating between 1860 BC and 600 BC. It has been estimated that up to 2000 tonnes of copper metal were mined during the Bronze Age, making it the pre-eminent source of copper in the Bronze Age. Technical analysis of bronze artefacts will enable the copper content (90% of bronze) to be traced, and perhaps thereby discover the export routes from the Great Orme in ancient times. |
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The copper mines are open to the public, and can be reached by a scenic trip up the Great Orme Tramway, opened in 1902, to the Halfway Station. This is one of only three remaining cable operated street tramways in the world. Operation differs from the famous San Francisco system in that, like the Elevador da Bica in Lisbon, it's a street funicular, where the cars are permanently fixed to the cable and are stopped and started by stopping and starting the cable. |
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In 1858 the St George's Harbour and Railway Company completed the construction of a commercial pier and a connecting branch railway line, in order to capture the Irish trade and to export coal from the Denbighshire coalfields. The following year, however, a hurricane force wind destroyed the pier. Although the pier was repaired, it was too short for steam ships except at high tide. The arrival of the railway had considerably increased the tourist trade, and a leisure pier was opened in 1878. |
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The Haulfre Gardens follow a path stretching from the West Shore, over the southern slopes of the Great Orme, and descending into the old part of Llandudno, built before the Victorian tourism boom. You can thus enjoy a panoramic view in both directions, walking along a path lined with cultivated plants and flowers, set against the rocky grasslands of the Great Orme. A new path has been opened, zig-zagging down to the gardens from the summit of the Great Orme. |
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The Happy Valley, a former quarry on the eastern side of the Great Orme, has been landscaped and developed into ornamental gardens. A camera obscura built there in 1890 has been restored, and nearby is the base station for an Alpine Cabin Lift to the summit of the Great Orme. At over one mile between the two stations, it's the longest cabin lift in Britain. Further up is a 280 metre artificial ski slope and toboggan run. |
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Festival services will be held at the Ambassador Hotel, an imposing Victorian hotel, situated on the Promenade, at the junction of St. George's Place, about 500 yards from the Great Orme. The new moon of the Biblical 7th month will be visible (weather permitting) shortly after sunset on Thursday, 13th September, so the festival will begin at sunset on Thursday, 27th September, the 15th day of the month. (Please see the article When is the Biblical New Moon?) |
Accommodation and tourist advice is available from the Llandudno Tourist Information Centre
"On
the last day of the Festival, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried
aloud, |